


I Can Make My Own Way

by juniperknight



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Child Abandonment, F/M, Pre-Time Skip, Protective Law, Slow Burn, Swordfighting, illiterate, possible triggers, tiger woman, tiger-esque
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-25
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-28 12:55:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15049520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juniperknight/pseuds/juniperknight
Summary: "She's a dumpster baby, nobody wanted her wherever she came from."Law wants her to join his crew, but does he know the price that comes with having her?





	1. A Shitty Island

The sun felt incredible, not just for its warmth but also the way that it lit up everything it touched. The extra heat wasn’t of much concern to Law, as it felt far cooler up here on the main deck than had been below. When was the last time he had properly seen the sky? Weeks before now, they’d been lying low since the last run in they had with the marines, so the first breath of fresh air, not just for Law himself but they entire crew was more like a sigh of relief. Nobody truly appreciates how clean and crisp fresh air is until they’ve been below the water’s surface for what had felt like an eternity. 

“The next island is in sight, Captain!” Shachi practically cheered from his place beside Bepo who had chosen to flop onto the floor, tongue lolling from his mouth. 

Law smirked at the sight, remembering how much the bear had begged them to come to the surface. He had refused for all of their safety, but he appreciated that his second in command had most likely had the most trying of experiences being in their submarine for so long. Law plucked the telescope from Shachi’s fingers and held the device to his own eye to peer at the horizon. 

The land was dark, and appeared dirty, no greenery in sight. Swarms of seagulls soared upon the oncoming breeze in waves of white wings, periodically swooping downwards to land in order to take claim to the mountains of what looked an awful lot like garbage. Law wrinkled his nose, “Let’s hope this island is of any use to us. Bepo! Prepare a landing party, I want to be back before the sun goes down.”

Bepo rolled over weakly onto his back and gave a sloppy salute to his captain, “Aye, aye, sir!”

Taking his time to descend back into the depths of the submarine, Law took his time to run over the mental list he had composed when they had first spotted the grey spot of land with submarine’s periscope. They needed more food supplies, that was certain, but they were also running dangerously low on medical supplies. Bandages, sutures, disinfectants and iodine. The last battle they had had resulted in many minor casualties, including himself. Law grimaced at the memory of having to dislodge the bullet from his own shoulder, a mirror and a scalpel and painful stabbing attempts to try and pry it out from under his skin. 

Law shook his head immediately and grabbed a piece of rough paper from his desk in his study nook which was once a disused broom closet and roughly scribbled down what they would need in the medical bay. The head chef from the kitchens would be responsible for writing up their other stocks and necessities, so Law turned and headed down towards the next vestibule that led to the control room. 

Penguin stood with Shachi, his hat tucked under his arm and rubbing his chin with the tell-tale signs of anxiety that he had shown when they first met. His eyes flicked up quickly to meet with Law’s, mouth opening and shutting as the cogs in his head thought up a good explanation to confront Law’s probing look. 

“We’re low on fuel,” Shachi blurted, cutting straight to the chase, “It’s either a case of getting more fuel on this island or sailing above surface until we can next stock up. It’s lucky that there’s plenty of sun with this islands climate, it gives us a chance to juice up for the electrics with the solar panels we installed.”

Law nodded slowly, absorbing the information for safekeeping.

“However, seeing as this island looks like some sort of junk yard, it might not be possible,” Penguin griped, looking desperate, “I’m sorry Captain, I should have said something sooner but-”

“Don’t mention it, Peng-ya, we were all worried about the Marines catching up to us,” Law stroked his chin thoughtfully, “It’ll be worth having a thorough check of this island and any inhabitants, I might be able to offer treatments in order to earn some money for the next island we come to. And laying low while the log pose sets will be worth our while if we can avoid any unwanted attention.”

They headed up to the top deck where their navigator, Blue, was fiddling about with the solar panels, and Bepo who was still flopped out with his face pressed between the metal railings, was surrounded by some of the other members of their crew, their faces ashen with disgust. The island had tripled in size on the horizon, signalling that they were indeed now coming in fast. 

But the air was pungent with an unknown aroma.

“It smells like shit,” Shachi groaned, wrinkling his nose. Beside him Penguin was taking extra care to breath through his mouth while Blue had adopted a peg from what Law could only assume was the washer room to seal his nostrils shut.

Law sniffed the air carefully, it smelt like burning sulphur but somehow much more organic. It did smell exactly as Shachi had described. His lips pulled down slightly at the corners, and he willed himself to wait with the rest of his men on the top deck rather than returning to the levels below to escape the stench. 

As they came closer Law noted that very few ships were visible at the rundown harbour that they approached, the largest of them seemed to have lost most of the main mast in a fire, a blackened stake remained that pointed directly towards the sky. They could hear the seagulls better now as they cried and squabbled over the land. The main attraction so far was the large building near the harbour, glinting strangely in the distance. 

It became evident as they drifted closer that it was made out of scrapped metal that had been somehow soldered into place, appearing to have 3 levels with dozens of wobbly makeshift windows that had puckered edges, as if they had been bent from the inside out, not a single glass pane to be seen within them. 

Law pulled at the collar of his hoodie, the island was indeed one of summer, and the flies that buzzed aggravatingly over dried up seaweed and other junk on the shore seemed to multiply. They had reached the rotten pier where thousands of cockles had adhered themselves to weathered cement blocks supporting the frame. A slight dull ringing signalling that they had dropped anchor. 

“Right, we’ll split off into two groups, Shachi and Penguin with me, we’ll be on the look out for fuel and medical supplies. Bepo, you take the others to find any resources we can take back with us and find out how long the log pose will take to set. I have a den den mushi with me, so call me if anything goes wrong,” Law ordered, watching the sullen faces of his men he added grimly, “the quicker we are about this, the sooner we can leave.”

That incentive was enough to get everyone moving, the pier creaking and splintering under their combined weight but somehow holding true. As Law’s foot hit the sand he contained the urge to recoil, the surface was slimy with decomposing seaweed and other matter that didn’t need to be discussed. His crew parted ways, Bepo and the others heading along the shore to meet the island’s circumference while Shachi, Penguin and Law himself headed straight past the patchwork building that seemed to remain unoccupied. Now that they were closer to the junkyard it was evident that there beside the birds and bugs, no life seemed to remain. 

They picked their way through the filth.


	2. The Varren

A large quantity of seagull droppings narrowly missed hitting Law’s shoulder, he visibly flinched and swore under his breath. They were in a ravine of waste, garbage piling up on each side as they teetered awkwardly on the uneven ground below their feet. Shards of filthy glass, splinted wood, and other discarded materials were caked in the earth. The heat seemed radiate from the trash that went on for miles, and the smell was something else altogether. 

Law wiped at the sweat that was tickling his brow, he had already removed his hat and stowed it in the duffel bag he carried, the sleeves of his hoodie rolled up his arms as far as they could go without cutting off any circulation. His back was drenched, as were his underarms. His jeans stuck to his legs uncomfortably with every step they made. Shachi and Penguin didn’t look much better, they had removed the upper portion of their boiler suits and tied the arms around their waists, the black t-shirts they wore underneath were slowly staining with dark sweat patches. 

The walk alone was exhausting.

It had started to dawn on them that there wasn’t much hope of finding anything, when the ravine opened out into a huge area that dipped down several feet. It stretched for what Law assumed was a fair few kilometers, and what seemed to be freshly discarded piles of garbage decorated the scene. 

They stopped to watch as a mechanical system from above composed of twisted steel cables on metal frames with a pulley system deposited a large quantity of garbage from a set of large iron jaws, adding to a pile in the distance. There was a combination of things, trees that had been cut down, bags containing rubbish, piles of tattered cloth, broken bottles, metal scraps, and even what looked suspiciously like parts of a discarded Marine ship. 

Some of the mounds seemed to contain items that would be somewhat useful, including what Law recognized to be a crate of apples that still appeared to look good enough to eat, providing they were washed first. 

“Alright, let’s see if there’s anything decent here that we can take back with us,” Law murmured, making for the first jumble of disposed goods. He didn’t seem to notice the looks that his crew mates were giving him, but they followed despite his actions.

The method of sorting through junk seemed to be an intricate process, as Shachi pulled out a large metal plate the heap he was attending quickly avalanched and engulfed him in a load of old newspapers and broken egg shells. Penguin cackled gleefully while helping him come clean from the rubble.

Law took his time separating the pyramid of clutter that he had chosen to scavenge, they were slowly coming up with a generous hoard to take back to the ship, though none of it was what they had originally came for. 

Thick sheets of steel for repairing the sub, several sets of cutlery that would need to be scrubbed but were well needed, a set of decent binoculars that seemed to only be slightly scratched on the metal casing, the list went on. 

It was when Law went to approach another, more prominent mound of miscellany that there was a sudden scurrying and the wind was knocked right out of him, he heard the cries of his crew mates as he was sent tumbling down into a massive decline filled with debris, his elbow flaring in pain as something sharp torn through his skin.

He wheezed painfully at the hands with jagged nails that were constricting his throat. Viridian green eyes flashed dangerously only inches from his own, and he vaguely noted waves of red as his vision began to blacken around the edges.

“Keep to your own treasure, wanderer,” A female voice spat in distaste.

Law barely had time to register before the weight was removed from his middle and he was able to choke desperately for breath. His head throbbed and he turned to watch Penguin and Shachi rolling about in the filth with the unknown predator. A girl. Just as he was starting to note the marks that blackened her skin his heart sunk at the sensation of something warm and metallic pressing eagerly against his temple.

“LET HER GO!” Another voice, male, roared, “Or this one loses his head!”

Penguin and Shachi flinched and stood down, the latter had a nasty cut beneath his chin. The girl scrambled to her knees, rubbing at the swelling on her right eyebrow where Penguin had landed a solid blow with his foot. Her hair was wild tangles of auburn, like a forest fire caught in the wind, and she had heavily freckled skin laced with black tattoos that reminded Law of vines, from the tips of her clawed fingers to the freckles on her nose. She hissed at him.

“They were on our turf, Mundey,” She growled at the man who Law had no chance to inspect with the gun pressed against the side of his head as a nagging reminder, “What should we do with them?”

“I don’t think they’ll cause us much trouble,” The man’s voice indicated his humour, “They’re sweating like pigs, and look at their clothes! They aren’t used to the heat of The Varren.”

The Varren? Law bit back a groan of dismay, of all the places they could have washed up when they weren’t in the best of shape it just had to be the Grand Line’s “waste island”, where people from all over came to unload their burdens. That was the purpose of The Varren.

It definitely explained the smell.

“What are you guys? Travelers?” The man asked, he’d taken the gun away but Law didn’t have the energy to move.

“We’re pirates,” He replied coolly, anticipating their reaction. He wanted them to run.

“S-s-so,” The man stuttered, “So cool~! Wait until the others hear about this, Sky!” The man ran over to her, he was a large man, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and sandals, muscles bulging in way that looked almost uncomfortable. His head was shaved on either side in a tangled mohawk style of dirty blonde and it bobbed about with his crazed excitement, “They’re going to love hearing some pirate stories tonight!”

“Pirate stories?” Law deadpanned, completely lost in the series of events.

“Of course! I bet you have loads of wild stories to tell!” The man called Mundey grinned happily, practically dancing on the spot, “You’ll come to dinner tonight right?”


	3. A Mistake

The fire crackled in the dirt pit, the smell of the leaves that were smoking in the ashes seemed to cleanse the air of its awful stench. Law had opted to remove his hoodie and used it as a cushion for the empty barrel he sat upon. The sun had yet to leave the sky entirely, and in the distance the face of the moon was visible from where it peeped over the horizon. 

There were seven of them in total, not taking into account his own crew members. Mundey, their host who was positively thrilled by their presence, Sky, his primitive accomplice who sat biting her clawed thumbnail, swathed in an oversized grubby t-shirt and scuffed brown boots, and a handful of others who had come down to join them. 

While Mundey was clearly the leader of the group, there was another redhead who seemed to be in her forties that reined in the pack, her hair a halo of orange frizz which clashed with her stern features. Her name was Yuno, and she was perhaps very beautiful at one time, her tattered kimono hugging her in a way that most women would envy, and her skin, despite the harsh sunlight that hit The Varren, remained smooth and pale under the light of the moon. A large purple scar marred the left side of her face, which was probably once a gruesome burn. 

Chattering eagerly beside her where she stirred the huge pot over the fire were three young boys, all in tattered shorts and sandals; Tag, Minnow, and Baddam. Two were definitely her children as they sported the same orange locks and pale skin, but the third was smaller and had dark skin and brunette hair, much like Mundey’s. Law deduced that they were in a relationship if not married.

The last member of their band of misfits was an older man who referred to himself as Jonjo, though the others endearingly called him Pops. He had salt and pepper tufts that reached his shoulder and matching facial hair. His face was wise, lined as though the artist who drew him up had used ink rather than pencil. He was fiddling idly at the bandaging on his arms that reached up and under his grubby short sleeved button up. Law had treated the blistering sunburn on the man and pretended not to notice the old Marine insignia that was inked into his skin.

If the man was once a Marine he certainly wasn’t now, listening enraptured to the tales that Penguin told on behalf of their crew. The story he was currently telling the trash island’s clan was how they had left the last island with the Marines in pursuit.

“Cannon balls were raining from the sky when we were leaving from the harbour, we didn’t know that they were chasing us further out because there were already more ships waiting for us ahead, there was so much fog!” Penguin mimed having a rifle in his arms, pointing directly at the children who had paused in their games to listen, “They shot straight for our captain, because he’s the strongest of course~! They got him straight in the shoulder so he couldn’t lift his sword! I thought we were finished!”

“I did too,” Shachi agreed, looking solemnly into the flames in the fire pit. Bepo whined beside Law.

“You should all have more faith in our captain!” Bepo stated, holding up a furry fist, “He saved us all, he always does!” The rest of the crew hung their heads in shame at his words while Law patted Bepo’s shoulder. The words were touching, but it was still a close call. He needed to get stronger if they wanted to have a chance of getting to The New World. 

“Dinner is ready, has everyone got their bowls?” Yuno asked, tapping the side of the large pot with her ladle impatiently. 

It was a traditional Japanese dish, Zosui, made with leftover rice and miso, although this evidently lacked any fresh toppings. Law relished the fact that the food at least had some flavour considering how watery and burning hot the soup was on his tongue, he was famished. 

Sky sat on the opposite side of the fire from him, he noted how she sat awkwardly folded in the dirt, cradling her bowl without touching the contents. The tattooed limbs she had on display were grimy and far too lean, clearly due to being malnourished and working out in the islands junk yard like the rest of her mismatched family.

Law watched as she finally did take a small sip from the end of her soup spoon, her eyes closed and she deflated with a sigh, savouring the flavour from the bowl the size of what most would consider a snack. His own stomach was still alive with clawing fingers that weren’t satisfied from his own portion but he swallowed the idea of asking for a second helping quicker than he had the meal, which was saying something. He stood abruptly and headed to the makeshift sink that was a large dented metal bowl of water set into a table with mismatched legs, he washed his dish and spoon in the tepid water and laid them out to dry on the yellowing cloth by the sink.

It was getting quite late now, stars were starting to appear in the inky night-time sky and Law thought back to how he had planned that morning to have been back on the submarine by now. He turned to their hosts and spoke up for the first time since entering the warped metallic shack, “I don’t suppose you know how long a log pose will take to set while on this island?”

Mundey seemed to consider his question before turning to Jonjo who smirked in return from behind his greying moustache, “6 months, if I remember rightly,” His periwinkle blue eyes flashed upwards to meet with Law’s stormy grey, “That is unless you’d like to swap with the one little Luna Sky’s been hoarding away?”

“I’m not little!” Sky hissed incredulously, “And I don’t do swaps~ It’s my treasure fair and square!”

“Now, now, Miss Luna, these men are our guests! Now be a good sport and go and get it from your room,” Jonjo’s tone left no room for argument, he didn’t bat an eyelid when Sky pounced up from the floor and stormed out of the room. 

They were left behind in an awkward silence, all that could be heard was the odd metallic creaking and aggressive footsteps from a floor up above. Yuno stood herself from where she was knelt on a cushion on the floor and sighed.

“Come on boys, it’s time we get you into bed,” Her features were rock solid, eyebrows knitted together in thought. The boys barely made a peep as she ushered them from the room and up what sounded like a wooden staircase. 

Law cleared his throat and frowned, earning the attention from the two males left from the tribe, “To be completely honest, I’m unable to make a trade, the log pose I have is built into my submarine’s control deck,” He explained, pulling at a loose thread on his jeans, “We can try to travel on until we reach another island, my only concern is that we’ll need some more fuel if we hope to make it.”

“Tomorrow I’ll check what fuel you use,” Mundey said, “I’ve got a variety in our storage room, it’s not much but it should at least help.”

They were discussing what sort of time to arrange stocking up their ship for the next day when Sky re-entered the room, holding an unusual shaped log pose in her hand that she held it out to Law. 

“I can’t make a trade, you can keep it Luna-ya,” He said, trying his best to seem uninterested in the object.

“It’s fine, I don’t want it anymore,” Her eyes met his and he frowned, an angry red welt was starting to form on her left cheek, and he knew it wasn’t from the scuffle they had had earlier. She pressed the glass contraption into his hand before turning to run back, the heat from her hand had tickled his fingertips without their skin even touching. The frown didn’t leave his face as he turned to look at Mundey.

“Pay it no mind Trafalgar-san, she’s a mistake, it’s natural that she should always be making them herself,” Mundey chuckled, smiling happily to himself at his own joke. Law’s eyes flashed to look at Jonjo who’s face was void of emotion. 

“What do you mean?” Law asked carefully, he was aware for the first time that most of his crew had left to go back to the ship and it was just Bepo, Shachi and himself left behind. The evening had taken a nasty turn, and they were more than likely preparing for an early start in the morning so they could get out off of the island as quickly as possible.

“Have you ever heard of people throwing their children away? She’s a dumpster baby, nobody wanted her wherever she came from. That’s why she was found on this island, she’s undesirable. A mistake.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!  
> I hope that you are enjoying this fic so far, it's been a long time since I've wrote anything that isn't an essay or a report for college so constructive criticism is welcome!  
> Also sorry my chapters are so short, I promise that they'll get beefier in the future :)  
> Love, JK x


	4. Silver Linings Be Damned

“Allow me to walk you back, Law-san,” Jonjo rasped as he stood from the old crate he’d sat upon, a long wooden pipe held between his teeth.

Law glanced back at Mundey who’d made a beeline straight past him, the massive pot that had stewed their supper in tow on his way to the sink. He was humming idly to himself as he lifted the pot onto the table with rag in hand, proceeding with what was apparently the standard routine. Law straightened himself and negotiated his body away from the scene to the exit out into the murk, he didn’t realize until on the threshold of the shack that his hands were clenched into fists.

Jonjo kept pace with him as Shachi and Bepo led their course, he puffed eagerly on the pipe and gazed up into the heavens’ afterhours. It wasn’t as dark as expected, the colossal orb of the night lit up their surroundings in an eerie glow. 

“It was like this the night I found Sky,” Jonjo spoke abruptly in an exhale of smoke that curled away into nothingness, the embers of his pipe burned amber, “It’s how she got her name, Luna Sky. I thought it was fate that I’d found her, my wife died giving birth to my daughter, I lost them both when I was out at sea as a Marine. I had nothing to go home to, and the ship I land with didn’t want to bring back a child that they thought was cursed with all of the marks she has on her body. Why else would a baby be abandoned here?” He mused, smiling sadly to himself. He looked up into Law’s face properly for the first time, and Law could see how old the man truly was.

“Is that why Mundey-ya and Yuno-ya treat her like some sort of wild animal?” Law quizzed, his eyebrow raised.

“No… They live hard lives, we all do. God doesn’t exist in a place like this, and its far easier to blame someone else as the catalyst for all of your problems,” Jonjo sighed, tapping the ash from his pipe onto the filthy sand on the shore. “Mundey was a pirate once, and it was his luck that he pissed off the wrong person, a member of his own crew. Yuno suffered in the fire that was lit when they were sleeping, it killed his crew and destroyed the ship that he’d worked so hard to build. Now he feels like he’s stuck here, because he doesn’t want to risk the life of anyone he loves ever again,” Jonjo shook his head, “I’m not justifying his actions, or Yuno’s for that matter, it’s just an explanation for why they treat Sky the way they do. She’s a wild child, and they fear the unexpected. By Sky refusing to give you pirates a way to leave this island they thought that you would take revenge on them all.”

“Why are you telling me this, old man?” Law demanded, ceasing all intention of reaching the submarine. Bepo and Shachi whirled around, ready to leap to his side but he waved them off, “Go back and wait for me, I won’t be much longer.”

Jonjo visibly relaxed once duo had reached the peer, they had been reluctant but were finally out of range to eavesdrop. “I want to ask you a favor, Law-san.”

The man looked tired, he picked around in his upper pocket to withdraw another tuft of tobacco to place into his pipe. He patted it down with his little finger and pulled out a box of matches from his back pocket, the initial strike of the match lit up each crack and detail in his features. 

“What could you possibly want from a man like me, Jon-ya?” Law breathed, watching at the end of the pipe scorched bright in his vision. He felt on edge, the night air prickling at his torso, he was vaguely aware of the mosquitos that were buzzing all around the harbour. 

“Please, take Sky with you, this might be her first and only chance to have a better life,” Jonjo’s eyes were glistening wet, his pipe was shaking between his fingertips. “Silver linings be damned, I’ve tried my best, but she deserves better.”

Law was stunned, it took a lot, considering all the abnormalities the Grand Line offered, to leave him gobsmacked. He recoiled and swallowed uneasily, “I can’t promise anything.”

“I understand,” Jonjo sighed after a few moments, he gazed up to meet eyes with the moon, it was incredible how clear it looked in the sky from The Varren, and somehow much closer than Law had ever seen before. 

By the time Law bid goodnight to the man and parted ways he felt a substantial weight upon his conscience, there was much to consider after what Jonjo had asked from him. He was confident that his crew wouldn’t oppose to the addition, in truth he knew that they would have insisted if they knew all the details that Law did, but there were several factors that conflicted with his decision. 

She was young and inexperienced, and Law didn’t want to eventually resent her for being a liability to his crew. He barely knew the girl! He advanced onto the deck of the submarine and met eyes with Shachi who had waited patiently for him by the hatch that led down into the depths of their home.

“What did he want?” Shachi asked, following suit as they descended, not bothering to shut the hatch behind them. It was still warm inside the ship despite how much the temperature had dropped. 

Law laced his fingers through her hair, Bepo had taken his hat and hoodie back to his quarters for him. “I’ll explain tomorrow,” He rubbed his eyes tiredly, acknowledging that it would yet again be another sleepless night with all there was to reflect upon, “We’ll have an early start tomorrow, is the log pose that Luna-ya gave us set into position?” 

“All set, Captain,” Shachi chirped, he walked past Law to head to the control deck but paused briefly at the door, “It’s a really intricate design, I imagine it must have been crafted by someone very talented. Makes up for the scratches she gave you on your neck,” He chuckled dryly, his smile slightly sad as he made his way through the door. 

Shachi had noticed the mark left on Sky’s face as well, it had evidently brought back some unwanted memories. Law was eighteen when he witnessed a boy being beaten against the wooden boxes of a storage room, had heard him try not to cry aloud, fingers stuffed into his mouth where he bit blood and choked on his tears. 

Law caressed his neck with his tattooed fingers, the scratches were raised and had scabbed since the first encounter with the redhead, the incident had skipped his mind. He mulled over the occurrence as he dragged his feet along the corridor towards his study, his touch fastened to the superficial damage. She wasn’t entirely inexperienced, a feasible argument, but there would be plenty of opportunity for her to learn and refine skills while on board the submarine with his crew, even if she didn’t become one of the Heart Pirates.

Law removed his spattered boots before reintroducing himself with his crammed study space, his feet relished the cool metallic flooring. He proceeded to flop down into the uncomfortable wooden chair and anticipated the long list of advantages and disadvantages that would muddle his mind for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fairly short chapter this time but I added in as much back story and content as I could without rushing :) obviously we all know Law's decision ;) not long and I can start writing longer chapters~ I have SO many ideas and I'm going to eventually add more characters into this for you all to enjoy :D  
> Love, JK x


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